In India there is no end to festivals and more often than not festivals do have an element of firing crackers.

In India there is no end to festivals and more often than not festivals do have an element of firing crackers. Every year during the time of Diwali the nationa wakes up to the call of causes of air pollution prticularly resulting out of burning fire crackers. In this regard the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Committee (DSGMC) has taken a firm position on the occasion of Gurpurab which is on November 14 by saying NO to firecrackers.

“We have decided not to burn any fire crackers this year on Gurpurab which is celebrated by the Sikh community like Diwali. The decision of DSGMC will be conveyed to all 700 Singh Sabhas who will spread the message to all Gurdwaras in Delhi and hence the community associated with those Gurdwaras will also become aware of the decision. The idea is to spread awareness about the need to focus on environment friendly ways to celebrate a festival,” DSGMC president Manjeet Singh GK said.

The DSGMC has no power to impose any kind of ban on anyone but the decision not to burn crackers on Gurpurab will have an impact across the community. “We also plan to conduct awareness through marches led by school children to appeal to people to join the fight against pollution,” GK said.

The DSGMC has also decided to make available masks to whosoever needs them from two major Gurdwaras, Bangla Saheb near Connaught Place and Sisganj in Chandni Chowk. The masks will be available from Monday evening.